10 Things to hate about Super Bowl 50 – 2016

We are about three weeks out from the most popular event in America. The 50th edition of the Super Bowl will be watched by hundreds of millions on February the 6th. The buildup will be immense like always, and I can’t wait for it myself, even though the conference championship games are a better game experience most of the time.

While there is a lot to love about the Super Bowl, it is not without warts. There are many things that can be improved upon from my point of view.

Clearly the current formula works, thus Super Sunday having become a virtual national holiday. So it’s not likely to change due to my complaints here.

But it’s worth a shot. Maybe Roger Goodell will take a look at my list of things the Super Bowl gets wrong, and he tweaks the event ever so slightly. I guess I better add a couple to the list that involves the League making an extra billion dollars per year since money is the main concern of the Commish. He’ll likely skip over any concerns about the quality of the game itself.

Here are ten things that this hardcore NFL fan hates about the Super Bowl. Keep in mind I have never missed the big game, and I eat, breathe, and sleep NFL action.

10. As much as I anticipate seeing the best two teams go head to head to determine a world champion, I always have the terrible thought in the back of my mind that I am about to watch the last game of the year. I start cringing at the lack of options on TV in the coming months. The NBA, MLB, and American Idol just don’t do it for me.

9. OK, Roger Goodell. If you and the owners are too cheap to make all referees full-time employees then maybe just hire a single crew year round. Let this elite officiating team work the Super Bowl each year so we hopefully never have the big game decided by a bad call from a guy that has to be in his insurance office the next morning.

8. I enjoy Papa John’s pizza, but I am sick of seeing 82 commercials each Sunday. By Super Sunday, the last thing I need to see is John H. Schnatter cozying up to Peyton Manning every eight minutes.

7. The TV broadcasting crew is what it is. But I really start to feel nauseous as the big game gets closer knowing the most important game of the year could be ruined by the guys in the booth. I try not to think about which network has the game too early, but this year I have been aware for months that Phil Simms will be in my ear the entire game. I may have to swap to the radio broadcast and mute the TV for my own sanity.

6. I love the good food at Super Bowl parties and like hanging out with friends. However, once the game starts I am focused on that, so I can’t be having conversations about somebody on Facebook or the latest drama at work. I don’t care about that stuff on a normal day, and surely don’t want to be bothered with it as I watch the damn Super Bowl.

5. I get it. There are few casinos along with state lotteries that have gambling on lockdown for themselves. But surely Uncle Sam could make gambling legal for Super Bowl Sunday only, like the tax-free days for school shopping. People are gambling anyway with shady guys named Shorty so the gov’t might as well let football betting out in the open for just this one day. Who knows, we might even discover that gambling does not destroy our entire society.

4. We get a lot of stupid questions from the media that players are forced to answer. There are only so many questions that normal sports commentators can come up with so we need a few creatives added to the mix. Five or six stand up comedians with a mic in their hand would add some creativity to the Q&A sessions. I’d loved to hear what Aziz Ansari would ask Tom Brady or Cam Newton.

3. We need more options on the broadcast view. ESPN’s Megacast of the college football championship game was nice. I’d like to see the Super Bowl from the coaches’ view myself.

2. I hate the halftime concert. It is so rushed as the artist has to mix songs together in order to get off stage in time. And the fake fans that are chosen to act as if they are at a real concert is pitiful. The Super Bowl halftime concert is the furthest thing from a real concert imaginable.

1. Everyone including me hates the extended pregame shows for the Super Bowl. No, we don’t have to watch it, but it’s almost unavoidable. CBS will make us endure four hours of pregame material this year, including the Phil Simms “All-Iron” Team. If you can take that punishment, then you may have what it takes to euthanize animals on a daily basis, and you are likely a sociopath.

While some of the pregame coverage is good as we see how both teams ended up in the big show, much of it is stupid debates over what’s going to happen in the game. Here’s a clue for you casual fans…no one knows! These experts have no idea what will happen in the game. They are just filling up air time with guesses. If you like watching arrogant former players predict exact scores or tell why one QB is going to have a big game over the other guy then you will be in heaven four hours before Super Bowl 50.

Tune into ESPN, CBS, or the NFL Network to get your fill of random guesses on what will happen when 22 guys hit the field with an oddly shaped pigskin.

Shane Mclendon is our go to guy for everything NFL and UFC related. He covers pro and college football with as much zeal as his love for UFC. With Shane, we've got you covered...He call himself an NFL nut that enjoys UFC action and a daily fantasy sports expert....at losing.